


Hello Scanlan

by babayagadook



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Late night talks, episode 85 spoiler, episode 94 spoiler, getting over friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-25
Updated: 2017-06-25
Packaged: 2018-11-18 18:51:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11296671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babayagadook/pseuds/babayagadook
Summary: It's been a month since Scanlan left Vox Machina and though the pain of leaving is still fresh, he is ready to leave his time with Vox Machina in the past. That is until he hears a familiar voice one night just before bed.





	Hello Scanlan

It had been 4 weeks since he left Vox Machina. 4 weeks of wondering if he made the right choice. 4 weeks tormenting himself over yelling at his friends over nothing they could have known or do anything about. 4 weeks of wondering if he should have brought up issues sooner. 4 weeks sober. 4 weeks getting to know Kaylie. 4 weeks of his new life. 4 weeks had brought about a lot of change. More change, he thought, than over a year of being with Vox Machina had brought him. He wouldn’t change it. Well maybe the manner in which he left, but he wouldn’t change that he left. 

Kaylie brought him so much… joy. Getting to know her, finding out how to be a father, what that even meant to him and to her, was worth more than burning his bridges. It had been awkward for both of them at first. Neither knew how to soften, how to rely on eachother, how to express themselves. Scanlan smiled as he touched the scabbed over wound on his face, a sharp pain reminding him of how deep the cut was. They really didn’t know how to express themselves. 

The room was warm and dark, lit by the light of the full moon through the window. Kaylie lay on the bed across the room. He would never get used to how she looked while she slept. Her face, always so tough looking a “don’t fuck with me” facade she had grown to perfect, had softened. She looked so much younger as she slept. This was when Scanlan could really see their resemblance, though he would never tell her how much they actually looked alike. 

It was the first night they’d managed to secure a room at an inn for quite a while. No place had been willing to give the two traveling bards a place to stay for an evening’s entertainment for almost two weeks. Their reserves of money had been dwindling making paying for a room a luxury they couldn’t afford. He had been putting off even mentioning the mansion. He couldn’t face it yet. Not with the portrait from Garmelie hanging in the entrance. There were things that couldn’t be brought up. At least not yet. Not now. If he faced it now, the guilt would be unbearable. 

With one last look at Kaylie, he lay down to let sleep take him. To let his recurring nightmare visit him again. He was used to it at this point, the image of his friends dead around him, being unable to help them. Sometimes they were alive. That was much worse. He closed his eyes and wondered which one would greet him tonight. 

“Hello Scanlan,” It was Pike’s voice. So it was the one where they were alive. Though this was different than normal. Normally they don’t sound so friendly. Especially not Pike. 

“I hope you had a good day. Mine was fine. I spent the day traveling from Whitestone on my way to help with Emon.” This didn’t sound like a dream. It sounded like Pike was just talking to him, standing right next to him. 

It finally clicked. Scanlan jumped out of bed, looking around as if Pike was right in the room. He had forgotten about the earring. His face fell in pure shock and guilt as he touched it, hesitating to take it out even through the pain her voice brought him. 

“The caravan is nice, I guess. I still prefer to travel through trees. I even like being a cloud. That’s fun. This is normal though. It’s nice. I like feeling like things are normal again. It’s been too long since anything has felt normal.”

Scanlan collapsed back onto the bed, hand still hovering over the earring. Pike was near, she was close. She was in this town. She could even be in this inn. She could be right next door. He felt the panic raise in him as he sat paralyzed by the unexpected appearance of Pike in his new life. 

“I miss you, you know. We all do. Things are different without you around. I’m worried that you aren’t going to come back to us.”

Scanlan could feel the heartbreak in her voice. It was everything he could manage to not respond. He could feel the tears start to threaten to fall. 

“We had a new friend now, too. Well maybe not a friend, but a new person decided to tag along with us. He’s interesting. I think you would like him. I’m surprised Vex hasn’t murdered him yet. He called her Little Elf Girl the first time they met. He’s very bad at names.”

There was a certain fondness in her voice as she talked about this new “friend.” They didn’t need him after all. They’ve already found his replacement. It didn’t take them long at all. Scanlan dropped his hand from the earring and lay down in bed, pulling the blanket tight around him. He made the right decision to leave. They just missed his fancy tricks and the mansion. 

“Anyway, goodnight Scanlan. I hope you’re alive. I hope everything is going well with Kaylee. Goodnight. I’ll talk to you again soon.”

Scanlan let the tears fall then. “Goodnight, Pike.” He whispered to himself, a small voice that would go unnoticed in the night. This, he decided, would be the final goodbye he would allow himself. This would be the last night he would allow himself to miss Vox Machina. They’ve moved on, so will he. 

As he finally drifted off to sleep he decided that tonight was even worse than his nightmares. 

\----

It was late afternoon, Scanlan and Kaylie had been walking all day. They had decided to go to Ank’harel and take care of some of his unfinished business earlier that day. He hadn’t mentioned Pike from the night before. He was afraid of what Kaylie would say. There was no need to bring it up. That life was behind him. His future was with Kaylie in Ank’harel. 

“It’s getting a little late. I don’t suppose there’s a town anywhere near here?” They had been walking in comfortable silence for a couple hours now when Kaylie broke it. 

“There shouldn’t be one for another day, day and a half. At least from what I can remember. Should’ve tried to pick up a map or two in Whitestone before we left.” He replied. It was true. They should have spent some of their coin on that. All he was thinking that day was just to get as far away from everyone as possible. 

Kaylie sighed, “I guess it’s another camping night, then. Better start setting up if we want to be done before dark.”

“Actually I have a better idea. Wait a minute.” Scanlan pulled the familiar ivory door, spoon, and marble from their hidden pocket and as he concentrated he saw the door start to appear in the air before him. 

“Well that’s a trick and a half.” Kaylie remarked from behind him.

“It’s even better inside. Now come on. Let’s get some chicken for dinner.” Scanlan opened the door for Kaylie, enjoying the small look of wonder and how she tried so hard to hide it. 

As he stepped inside and closed the door behind him, he let the familiar smell of cooking chicken greet him and the weird since of home the spectral servants and the familiar entrance gave him. He ushered Kaylie to the kitchen, excited to show her around his mansion.  
He didn’t look at the group portrait. That was a deeper, still healing wound that would leave a scar far worse than what Kaylie had given him.


End file.
